The allies from the end of World War II, known as the P5, tend to set the agenda for the council's discussions, and dominate the proceedings, often to the chagrin of the 10 countries who are temporary members. Confident with the media, Sir John is a regular at the stakeout, the microphone in front of the UN Security Council where ambassadors come to give on-camera statements to journalists.

In often complex negotiations, he has mastered the art of delivering sound bites which sum up both the issue and Britain's position.

That is no mean feat in a place where baffling acronyms and arcane procedure are the order of the day.

Sir John is regularly in contact with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is known to listen carefully to his advice.

The worlds of politics and diplomacy overlap at the UN - for example, the US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice is also a member of Barack Obama's cabinet - and Sir John is clearly at ease in both.

He is not in the stuffy, Foreign Office mandarin mould.

On a trip to Darfur in Sudan, Sir John was the only ambassador to go inside a camp for people displaced by the fighting, amid mutterings about how diplomats had come all the way from New York and not seen how people really live.

Leading by example, the man who now becomes C was showing the importance of intelligence-gathering.

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